Former President Donald Trump 's coronavirus testing czar, Admiral Brett Giroir, warned unvaccinated Americans Thursday during a...
Former President Donald Trump's coronavirus testing czar, Admiral Brett Giroir, warned unvaccinated Americans Thursday during an appearance on Fox News Channel that they will get the Delta variant of COVID-19.
'Let me tell you, if you have not been vaccinated and you have not had COVID before, you will get the Delta variant,' Giroir said. 'This is so infectious that you will get it.'
Giroir spoke with Fox's John Roberts and Sandra Smith, telling the anchors, 'It is just a matter of time,' that unvaccinated Americans contract the Delta variant of COVID-19.
Admiral Brett Giroir, who was in charge of coronavirus testing efforts during former President Donald Trump's administration, warned on Fox News Channel Thursday that unvaccinated Americans 'will get the Delta variant'
Assistant Secretary of Public Health Admiral Brett Giroir (right) is photographed in the White Hosue Rose Garden alongside former President Donald Trump. On Thursday he implored unvaccinated Americans to get their jabs
Admiral Brett Giroir (left) watches former President Donald Trump (right) answer questions in the White House briefing room in April 2020. Giroir criticized the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for not releasing data alongside the agency's new masking guidance
'If you have prior immunity, you do have some protection, but more and more data are telling us that that protection is not so good against Delta,' Giroir added.
He used flu shots to provide an example.
'Remember, you can get the flu every year. It's not because your immunity isn't good. It's because the flu changes,' Giroir explained. 'And Delta is really a new strain that is different than everything we have seen.'
'So, I am real concerned that natural immunity, although real, is not going to be sufficient against Delta,' he continued. 'And if you don't have natural immunity, and you're not vaccinated, you're going to get Delta.'
Giroir asked unvaccinated Americans to get their jabs.
'So get the vaccine. It's the way to save your life, to keep you out of the hospital, and that's the number one reason we need to get it,' he said.
While pushing people to get vaccinated, Giroir voiced frustration with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for not providing data alongside with their latest recommendation that both vaccinated and unvaccinated people wear masks, again, indoors.
'Well, my major concern is, we had an incredibly important policy announcement by the CDC to recommend mask-wearing even for those who are vaccinated, but they have supplied zero data, no transparency, no information upon which we can have a debate,' Giroir said.
CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said the change in guidance was due to the increased presence of COVID-19 in vaccinated people - especially with the Delta variant.
The CDC won't release the data the recommendation was based upon until Friday.
'We need to know the information, so we can have an intelligent, science-based debate,' Giroir said. 'And I hope they do it as soon as possible, today. Should have been done two days ago,' he added.
Giroir laid out what he considered to be the most important public health message.
'In the middle of all this confusion and misinformation, one thing remains clear. If you are vaccinated, you are at least 95 percent protected against serious consequences, hospitalizations, and death,' he said.
'And no matter what is going on surfacing in misinformation, that is the reason we want everyone to get vaccinated. And that is true for Delta and every single variant,' the Trump administration official added.
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